Cátia Canteiro is the Biodiversity Conservation Strategist at the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (SPUN).

Christopher Ellis is a lichenologist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. His research explores how local habitat actions can offset global change threats to biodiversity.

Yorou S. Nourou is a Professor in Environmental Science at the Faculty of Agronomy and head of the research unit Tropical Mycology and Plant-Soil Fungi Interactions at the University of Parakou, Benin.

Adjimoti K. Wilfrid is a socio-economist working on the sustainable use of wild edible fungi to address gender equality and to foster rural women’s empowerment through community-based management.

Dramani Ramdan is a conservation ecologist and mycologist. He is part of the research unit Tropical Mycology and Plant-Soil Fungi Interactions at the University of Parakou, Benin.

Jennifer Infanti is Associate Professor in Public Health and Nursing, with interests in reproductive health, migration and health, medical anthropology, and resilience.

Donatha Tibuhwa is Professor of Microbiology, specializing in fungal diversity, taxonomy, and ethnomycology, particularly mushrooms of ecological and socio-economic importance.

David Johnson is an environmental conservation NGO leader, focussed on the connections between human and environmental health.

Mai Løvaas is a mushroom identification expert who incorporated her passion for fungi into her MSc in Global Health at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Forouz Shafie is an Iranian artist exploring the connection between history, mythology, and human consciousness in her work. Inspired by the mysteries of Ancient Egypt and the sacred use of psychedelic mushrooms, her paintings bridge the past with the unseen, revealing the hidden layers of human experience.

Alison Pouliot is an ecologist and professional environmental photographer with a focus on fungi. Her work spans both northern and southern hemispheres, ensuring two autumns and a double dose of fungi each year. She has authored several books, including The Allure of Fungi, Wild Mushrooming, Underground Lovers, Meetings with Remarkable Mushrooms, Funga Obscura and Mushroom Day (in press).

Daniela Werner Ribeiro-Santos is a forestry engineer specialist in genetic resources and in-vitro cultivation, and coordinator of the CFAB-MIND.Funga team, based at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Genivaldo Alves-Silva is a mycologist focused on Neotropical macrofungi diversity and conservation, based at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Elisandro Ricardo Drechsler-Santos is a mycologist specialising in fungal conservation, and chair of the IUCN SSC Brazil Fungal Group, based at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. 

Elizabeth Barron is Professor of Environmental Geography, specialising in the human dimensions of fungal conservation, biodiversity politics, and environmental knowledge.

Environmental writer passionate about local conservation, biodiversity, and the surprising wild corners of everyday life. Lover of hopeful stories and pollinator-friendly places.

Oviya Jayashima, a Wildlife Conservation Action graduate from BVIEER, is a Research Associate at Azim Premji University studying human-elephant interactions in Valparai.

Sarah R. Putnam has served as an educational leader for more than three decades, with posts in the United States, Japan, China, Aruba, Morocco, and Algeria.

Nirjesh Gautam is a researcher at CUES, Ambedkar University Delhi, working on invasive tree species in urban environments.

Conservationist and explorer Peter W. Fong is obsessed with wildlife and wild places, especially fish and rivers. His books include The Coconut Crab and Rowing to Baikal.

Peter Duker is a doctoral researcher at the University of Guelph exploring sustainability and environmental justice through governance conflicts over livelihoods, land, and fisheries.

Kelsey is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland focusing on understanding how language barriers can negatively impact conservation science. Her research supports translatE Sciences.

Esha Jaiswal is an architect and writer whose work explores ecological design, urban biodiversity, and the quiet intersections of nature and city life.

Alyssa Hughes is a writer and dancer based in New York City. She graduated from Fordham University with a BA in English and Film Studies.

Sanmadi. K.R. is an ethnographic researcher whose work spans public health, conservation, livelihoods, and food culture. She uses participatory methods to uncover local knowledge, lived experiences, and community-driven pathways to resilience.

Harsh Singhal is a conservation researcher and writer whose work explores the intersections of ecology, people, and poetic expression. He is also the author of the book, “Feathers on the Wind, Ink on My Fingers: A Bird Lover’s Poetry Journey Through India”, recently published by BookLeaf Publishing.

Priyanka Borah is a PhD student at ATREE in Conservation Science. She studies how common, resilient species adapt to human-modified landscapes through interdisciplinary research.